In its preferred embodiment, the present invention incorporates a number of improvements to a fluid diaphragm valve used for toilets, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,606 and incorporated herein by reference.
A reliably repeatable self-leveling fluid valve that is also compact, inexpensive to manufacture and impervious to typical environmental forces, is needed in the so-called `self watering` or `automatic` growing containers for plants. The following eighteen patents allegedly describe some form of `self watering` or `automatic` growing container for plants:
______________________________________ 3,733,746 Allen Jr. May 22, 1973 Self Feeding Flower Pot 3,758,987 Crane Jr. Sep. 18, 1973 Automatic Plant Watering Device 3,775,904 Peters Dec. 4, 1973 Self-Watering Flower Pot 3,783,555 Peters Jan. 8, 1974 Self-Watering Flower Pot 3,871,131 Berglund Mar. 18, 1975 Self-Watering Plant Pots or Receptacles 3,903,644 Swift Sep. 9, 1975 Self-Watering Planter and Method of Making 4,052,818 Hagerty Oct. 11, 1977 Method and Apparatus for Containerizing Plants with a Self-Watering System 4,148,155 Allen Apr. 10, 1979 System and Apparatus for Auto- matically Feeding 4,183,175 Magee Jan. 15, 1980 Self-Watering Apparatus for Growing Plants 4,198,784 Sukes Apr. 22, 1980 Vessel for Supporting and Automatically Providing Liquid to Vegetation 4,324,070 Swister Apr. 13, 1982 Self-Watering Planter 4,329,815 Secrest May 18, 1982 Self Controlled Watering Planter Device 4,344,251 Edlung Aug. 17, 1982 Self-Irrigating Pot for Plants 4,356,665 de Oliveos Nov. 2, 1982 Self-Watering Planter 4,527,354 Sellen Jul. 9, 1985 Implantable Reservoir for Auto- matic Watering 4,937,972 Freitus Jul. 3, 1990 Self-Contained Plant Growth System 5,020,261 Lishman Jun. 4, 1991 Moisture Sensitive Self- Watering Planter 5,341,596 Kao Aug. 30, 1994 Automatic Water Supply Device for Potted Plants ______________________________________
In fact, these containers are neither self-watering nor automatic because they require human refilling of the reservoir.
Three issued patents that are also true automatic plant pots are:
______________________________________ 4,083,147 Garack Apr. 11, 1978 Automated Planter Box System 4,546,571 Scrivens Oct. 15, 1985 Plant Watering Apparatus 4,557,071 Fah Dec. 10, 1985 Automatic Watering and Feed- ing System for Plants ______________________________________
There is a need for a self-filling and self-leveling fluid basin which can perform a number of functions and cooperates with various other structures, including, but not limited to a plant pot converter, an animal water feeder, an underground spring, a bird bath, a humming bird feeder, an amphibian habitat, an animal/bird cage, a plant pot and a water toy.